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| Washington DC Apartment Locator Services : Washington DC |  | Contents | |
| Law
and Government | | The
city is run by an elected mayor (currently Anthony A. Williams) and the D.C. Council.
District schools are administered by a school board that has both elected and
appointed members. The 37 elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) provide
the most direct access for residents to their local government. However, Congress
has plenary power over the district. It has the right to review and overrule laws
created locally, and has often done so. The Tenth Amendment to the United States
Constitution does not apply to the District of Columbia. | DC
residents pay all federal taxes, such as income tax, as well as local taxes. The
mayor and council adopt a budget of local money with Congress reserving the right
to make any changes. Because so much of the valuable property in the district
is federally owned and hence exempt from local property taxes, the city is frequently
cash-strapped. Public services in the city suffer as a result.
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| According to the U.S. Constitution, Washington,
D.C. is under the direct jurisdiction of Congress. Congress has delegated various
amounts of this authority to local government. Still, D.C. residents lack some
representation that is enjoyed by residents of U.S. states. | | Residents
of the District vote for the President but do not have voting representation in
Congress. Citizens of Washington are represented in the House of Representatives
by a non-voting delegate (currently Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC At-Large)) who
sits on committees and participates in debate but cannot vote. DC does not have
representation in the Senate. Citizens of Washington, DC are thus unique in the
world, as citizens of the capital city of every other country have the same representation
rights as other citizens. Attempts to change this situation, including the proposed
District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment, have been unsuccessful |
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